26 Apr 2012

As I've argued repeatedly, one of the most disappointing aspects of this season is the incessant downward management of expectations by key figures at Anfield. Whether it's come from Steven Gerrard, Kenny Dalglish, Damien Comolli or Ray Houghton, acceptance of mediocrity has become a disturbing trend at Liverpool this season, and now, another one of the club's supposed leaders has jumped on the bandwagon.

Quite frankly, Liverpool's winning mentality has been trashed this season, and the endless barrage of defeatist statements coming out the club is clear evidence of this. Examples:

* Steven Gerrard claiming that winning the Carling Cup is more important than qualifying for the Champions League.

* Kenny Dalglish arguing that his summer signings have done brilliantly, and it would take a 'hell of a player' to come in and do better'.

* Ray Houghton insisting that it wouldn't matter if Liverpool finished 10th in the league.

* Dalglish (and others) continually overstating the importance of the Carling Cup win and using it as a sign of 'progress'.

* Comolli claiming that the Liverpool squad was 'complete' and could not be improved (!)

"Before the beginning of the season, if someone said that we'd win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup as well as getting 7th [in the league], probably most people would've taken that"

Reina is entitled to his opinion but I have to admit, I despise this defeatist acceptance of mediocrity, and I think the Spaniard has gravely misjudged the hopes, dreams and expectations of the fanbase.

Does Reina genuinely believe that winning the Carling Cup and finishing 7th is acceptable for Liverpool after almost 130m of investment over the last 18 months? If so, that's a little disturbing. Even more disturbing is the possibility that the rest of the players collectively share his mindset, and if that's the case, then it's easy to see why the club has failed in the league this season.

It's concerning to hear yet another one of the club's supposed leaders publicly justifying mediocrity; I'd rather hear anger and honesty about the club's intolerable league performance, and passionate assurances than none of the players are happy with it, and that blood, sweat and tears will be shed over the next few months in a bid to rectify the situation for next season.

Can you imagine real on-field leaders of yesteryear like Graeme Souness, Phil Thompson and Emlyn Hughes capitulating in public like this?

I argued this point a few weeks ago and I'm going to say it again: Daniel Agger is the only true on-field leader at Anfield now, and he should be given the captaincy next season. Agger tells it like it is; you can see his inner rage over Liverpool's poor performance, and - most importantly - he steadfastly refuses to accept mediocrity. After the Swansea game in November, he scathed:

"We looked like headless chickens running around after the ball. It is far from good enough, and if we play like this, we won't do it qualify for the Champions League. We definitely have to do a lot better."

After Liverpool's FA Cup victory over Man United in January, Agger was more interested in highlighting the club's poor league form:

"We need to get further up in the table. It's not good enough where we are now

"We aren’t playing well. We just aren’t working in the right way. We have to do better if we want to start getting results. We had a lot of good chances, especially at the end. But we couldn’t score the winner and that’s the fact. Maybe that’s because we aren’t good enough"

The most compelling example of Agger's winning mentality came in an interview with LFC TV earlier this season, wherein in he was asked about the 2007 Champions League final:

"I don't think about it [The final against Milan] at all. It was a massive disappointment. It should have been such a great night but it turned out the exact opposite. For me now, it doesn't matter; second best is nothing; you have to be the best, or it doesn't count".

I love Agger's attitude here; it perfectly encapsulates the Liverpool philosophy of football: 'First is everything, second is nothing', a principle that Reina, Gerrard, Dalglish (and his various media Cheerleaders) seem to have forgotten this season.

A proper winning mentality needs to return to Anfield ASAP. Yes, the club may not be a title-challenging side at the moment, but that doesn't mean the players have to *believe* that; the 'first is everything' attitude should still remain, and it should be applied to every minute of every game.

Bill Shankly once said: "Aim for the sky and you'll reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you'll stay on the floor".

Well, with club's leaders continually managing expectations downwards and making excuses for mediocrity, Liverpool are well and truly stuck on the floor at the moment.

I think he's just wrongly describing other people's expectations based on how those people think now. He probably can't recall the state of pre-season madness around Liverpool, when, according to Tom Werner, Dalglish said we could win (!) the league, and fans were similarly making grand predictions before the ball was even kicked.

I just don't expect Reina - who really has a fighting spirit and should remember how it felt to play in the Champions League semifinals almost every year - to start accepting the current disastrous mid-table state of this team as normal.

1. “An FA Cup victory will not make up for theclub's poor performance in the league this season,” Steven Gerrard’s statement

2. “The target of the club is still toget back in the Champions League. But before the start of the season, ifsomeone had said we'd win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup, aswell as getting seventh, probably most people would have taken that,” PepeReina’s statement

3. "Whatever happens between now and theend of the season, we will not be happy or satisfied with the position in theleague," Dirk Kuyt’s statement

4. "Maybe that's becausewe aren't good enough. It is a bit ofeverything; we are not playing well, we are not working the right way,” DanielAgger’s statement

If we analyze these 4 players’ statements froma communication perspective we can identify that indirectly they are a sendinga very clear indirect messege; THAT KENNY DALGLISH CANNOT TRANSFORM LFC TO ATITLE CONTENDER TEAM AND BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS. Those who should carefully assess the players’statements are John W. Henry and Thomas Werner. I have no doubt anywhere in mind they will do that and bring in a world class manager who can lead us to huge successes!

You r spot on Jamie. Is worrying times in deed at LFC. The mediocrity has crept in to the players as well. It's very very sad. I also agree that Agger should b made captain regardless of how much Gerrard plays next season.

Couldn't agree more with you Jamie for once. My jaw hit the floor when I read his statement. Same as Carra recently saying that's what we are now a mid table team!! One thing we'll never agree on though is that the attitude under Rafa was never this defeatist, he understood our clubs mentality, traditions and expectations and although we didn't win the PL under him we were a hell of a lot closer to those expectations than we are now. I'd take any player Rafa signed (for similar money) over any of Kennys who are clearly been so supported that losing just isn't an issue. Before anyone says it I know Reina was Rafa's signing but he has gone way back the last 2 seasons.

I'd be amazed if he really believes what he said.We all know what the problem is and as I stated ages ago the elephant is still in the room in Dalglish.Nothing is going to improve until he is removed at the end of the season.

Just out of interest Gerrard is appearing on the main chat show here in Ireland tomorrow night (being recorded today I believe) should make for interesting viewing, the Late Late Show don't pull any punches with their interviews, Ryan Tubridy could hit a nerve....

Most people (ie. supporters of clubs other than Utd, City, Chavs, Arse, Spurs) would take that as a great season. I personally hoped for 4th or 5th, but there you go.

I think Houghton is correct about the League position. If you are outside the top 4, it really doesn't matter where you finish in the league, other than from the point of view of personal pride. Or if you are one of those annoying twats who's had a "my team will finish above your team" bets......

1. “An FA Cup victory will not make up for theclub's poor performance in the league this season,” Steven Gerrard’s statement

2. “The target of the club is still toget back in the Champions League. But before the start of the season, ifsomeone had said we'd win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup, aswell as getting seventh, probably most people would have taken that,” PepeReina’s statement

3. "Whatever happens between now and theend of the season, we will not be happy or satisfied with the position in theleague," Dirk Kuyt’s statement

4. "Maybe that's becausewe aren't good enough. It is a bit ofeverything; we are not playing well, we are not working the right way,” DanielAgger’s statement

If we analyze these 4 players’ statements froma communication perspective we can identify that indirectly they are a sendinga very clear indirect message; THAT KENNY DALGLISH CANNOT TRANSFORM LFC TO ATITLE CONTENDER TEAM AND BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS. Those who should carefully assess the players’statements are John W. Henry and Thomas Werner. I have no doubt anywhere in my mind they will do that and bring in aworld class manager who can lead us to huge successes!

I want to know exactly when winning trophies stopped meaning something in football?You talk about defeatism while simultaneously writing off the club's achievements this season. In fact 'jk' its all you ever do, slag off the club, throw in a controversial headline and watch the money roll in.You're a king troll and an LFC parasite

I personally knew we wouldnt make the CL before the start of season, believe me im telling the truth I never had hope we would do so because i knew we bought too many useless players not lfc standard and i saw this coming tbh, so winning the CC and fa would do for me because we had no chance for 4th place with these players we've got. All lfc need to do now is sack kenny when the season is finished and also sell the players he bought, except suarez, Im 100% sure if kenny stays here for another season and we have the same squad we will finish even lower than this season because league's getting stronger every year and we're not, we even getting weaker , thats unacceptable for this club, FSG must react, now or never.

Players want trophies at the end of their careers, so I understand were he's coming from. Trophies this year, better players next year, and then 4th spot or higher. Liverpool have been linked with some good foreign players lately, that's good news. Hopefully this ridiculous buy British policy is gone forever.

1. “An FA Cup victory will not make up for theclub's poor performance in the league this season,” Steven Gerrard’s statement

2. “The target of the club is still toget back in the Champions League. But before the start of the season, ifsomeone had said we'd win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup, aswell as getting seventh, probably most people would have taken that,” PepeReina’s statement

3. "Whatever happens between now and theend of the season, we will not be happy or satisfied with the position in theleague," Dirk Kuyt’s statement

4. "Maybe that's becausewe aren't good enough. It is a bit ofeverything; we are not playing well, we are not working the right way,” DanielAgger’s statement

If we analyze these 4 players’ statements froma communication perspective we can identify that indirectly they are a sendinga very clear indirect message; THAT KENNY DALGLISH CANNOT TRANSFORM LFC TO ATITLE CONTENDER TEAM AND BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS. Those who should carefully assess the players’statements are John W. Henry and Thomas Werner. I have no doubt anywhere in my mind they will do that and bring in aworld class manager who can lead us to huge successes!

1. “An FA Cup victory will not make up for theclub's poor performance in the league this season,” Steven Gerrard’s statement

2. “The target of the club is still toget back in the Champions League. But before the start of the season, ifsomeone had said we'd win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup, aswell as getting seventh, probably most people would have taken that,” PepeReina’s statement

3. "Whatever happens between now and theend of the season, we will not be happy or satisfied with the position in theleague," Dirk Kuyt’s statement

4. "Maybe that's becausewe aren't good enough. It is a bit ofeverything; we are not playing well, we are not working the right way,” DanielAgger’s statement

If we analyze these 4 players’ statements froma communication perspective we can identify that indirectly they are a sendinga very clear indirect message; THAT KENNY DALGLISH CANNOT TRANSFORM LFC TO ATITLE CONTENDER TEAM AND BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS. Those who should carefully assess the players’statements are John W. Henry and Thomas Werner. I have no doubt anywhere in my mind they will do that and bring in aworld class manager who can lead us to huge successes!

You're contradicting yourself in this article. If it's first or nowhere then 1st in the Carling Cup (however unconvincingly) and 1st in the FA Cup, the most prestigious club competition in the world, is success.

I'd certainly take two cups and 7th over no cups and 4th because in the future when they look back to see who was winning things in the early 2000s they won't even see who was 2nd 3rd or 4th in the PL.

1. “An FA Cup victory will not make up for theclub's poor performance in the league this season,” Steven Gerrard’s statement

2. “The target of the club is still toget back in the Champions League. But before the start of the season, ifsomeone had said we'd win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup, aswell as getting seventh, probably most people would have taken that,” PepeReina’s statement

3. "Whatever happens between now and theend of the season, we will not be happy or satisfied with the position in theleague," Dirk Kuyt’s statement

4. "Maybe that's becausewe aren't good enough. It is a bit ofeverything; we are not playing well, we are not working the right way,” DanielAgger’s statement

If we analyze these 4 players’ statements froma communication perspective we can identify that indirectly they are a sendinga very clear indirect message; THAT KENNY DALGLISH CANNOT TRANSFORM LFC TO ATITLE CONTENDER TEAM AND BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS. Those who should carefully assess the players’statements are John W. Henry and Thomas Werner. I have no doubt anywhere in my mind they will do that and bring in aworld class manager who can lead us to huge successes!

Pressure and high expectations have crushed so many promising players especially at Liverpool, managing the expectancy and the pressures are crucial in developing success. Kenny Dalglish is a winner, he knows what it feels like to win, there is no way on earth Kenny accepts anything but a 100% effort and a winning mentality from his players and staff. Henderson was quoted recently as saying "I've played too safe this season", a typical response from a player terrified to make a mistake and finding it difficult to cope with the high expectancy at Anfield. the majority of players find it difficult to play under pressure, relieving that pressure is a key component in the art of management.

Looks like Reina wants out. He knows he is in the peak of his career and should be at a top CL club challenging for titles, not a club that has fallen from 2nd to 8th (at best) in 3 seasons.

His performances (like his comments here) reflect a player who has accepted LFC are currently f**ked (and have been for a few years now, with many false 'rebirths'). He's watched the likes of Alonso, Macherano and Torres leave (plus fellow Spaniards Rafa, Arbeloa & Riera) with the only notable signings of Suarez & Enrique (& Bellamy).

He is bang on target. We look like a mid table club. I'd rather have CL football than 10 FA cups. Without CL we cannot attract top talent or compete with the best in the world. If FSG and Daglish don't get their things together we could very well end up the new Stoke or WBA!

1. “An FA Cup victory will not make up for theclub's poor performance in the league this season,” Steven Gerrard’s statement

2. “The target of the club is still toget back in the Champions League. But before the start of the season, ifsomeone had said we'd win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup, aswell as getting seventh, probably most people would have taken that,” PepeReina’s statement

3. "Whatever happens between now and theend of the season, we will not be happy or satisfied with the position in theleague," Dirk Kuyt’s statement

4. "Maybe that's becausewe aren't good enough. It is a bit ofeverything; we are not playing well, we are not working the right way,” DanielAgger’s statement

If we analyze these 4 players’ statements froma communication perspective we can identify that indirectly they are a sendinga very clear indirect message; THAT KENNY DALGLISH CANNOT TRANSFORM LFC TO ATITLE CONTENDER TEAM AND BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS. Those who should carefully assess the players’statements are John W. Henry and Thomas Werner. I have no doubt anywhere in my mind they will do that and bring in aworld class manager who can lead us to huge successes!

Where has the subjectof rotation gone.Real Madrid were exhausted last night and lost the game due to that fact and the fact Bayern rested every player who played last night for one week.Those people who criticised Rafa for rotating are pathetic.You know nothing,you just argue because someone else brings an argumant up so you want to look important.

Even if a title charge was a pipe dream a serious assault on top four should have been achievable for the money spent. Newcastle Utd have done so with less resources Domestic cups count for nothing in Europe ergo Benitez often fielded a second string in cup games

an arsenal mate of mine asked me today if,at the start of the season, i would have been happy with 7th place, a carling cup and an fa cup? i told him yes. he then called me a glory seeker. that is a strange term to label someone as that should be a staple requirement of every football fan. i asked him whether he was then in fact, a failure seeker, as an arsenal fan, due to the fact they have not won anything for nearly 7 seasons? i pointed out that football is about winning cups,that obviously includes the league. arsenal and other clubs seem to only have the ambition to get a top 4 place. that is why they decry our carling cup win as 'the reserves cup'. the fa cup is increasingly being viewed as 2nd rate. the fa baulk at the suggestion it is being devalued. but it is. putting the merseyside derby on espn? pathetic. playing league games on the same day as the final? criminal. the fa cup,historically, was the show piece event,shown all around the world. even if your team wasn't in it,you watched it. a whole days build up. not now, but it is a cup and i want to win it. at the moment,we are not good enough for the champs lge. you don't win silverware for a top 4 finish,unless you win the title. sometimes i think it would be better if the 'elite' clubs went off into their own super lge. my point is, i want cups every year and a top 4 is a bonus, not a singular ambition. i know many of you will not agree, but the league is my top priority. as shanks said "it's our bread and butter,thats what we want to win all the time" unfortunately, money is the major factor in football today, and that has skewed the correct objectives in domestic football.........what a huge shame, on, and for every fan.

Remember the players we lost 100 mil won't replace those players never mind improve. Reina is a realist and knows it will take a bit of time to rebuild. Alonso masch and Torres and younger Gerrard were top top drawer. The next buys must try and match their talent then we can start aiming high again. Defeatist no. Just real.

Arsenal lost two key players at the start of this season, spent a fraction of what we splashed out on flops, and are about to finish in top 4. Please stop using these 'time to rebuild' excuses - nobody gives you time in modern football.

The depths to which many within the club will lower the bar and with it the fanbase expectations in order to preserve Kenny Dalglish is steadily hammering the nails into the coffin of LFC as one of the premier clubs in world football. " getting to 7th " that line on its own should send a shiver down the spine of every fan of this club of ours - 'getting to' sounds like its an achievment - what it is actually is an embarresment for a club of this stature.

I am so gutted about whats happened to us this season , I find myself coining new phrases for fans like yourself who would rather follow KD down into the championship than admit its gone wrong and questions need to be asked - Dalglish apologists , fans and pundits alike who will cling to anything and anyone else to blame for our regression rather than face up to reality .

Now you can call me a manc or a bitter toffee before you tell me to get out of the club ive supported since 1977 .

BTW - Kenny is my childhood hero - I get no pleasure at all from seeing a man I idolise fall and stumble like he has this season - at times its been heartbraking .

I cannot believe it, I'm sorry but your idea is scary...do you not know how much money is LFC going to make by qualifying for the Champions League??? Winning Carling Cup and FA Cup (most prestigious club competition???) will not bring in enough revenue to LFC. All I can see LFC is drifting further and further away from the elites in EPL. LFC doesn't have an astute manager in Arsene Wenger. Therefore if LFC is going to be run with little funds, they will only remain as where they are now in the league table. Aside from Newcastle and Everton, clubs ahead of LFC this season either have bigger stadiums or richer owners compared to LFC. Personally, I don't think I like the idea of LFC being a club fighting for 7th or 8th position in the EPL, a Carling Cup winner and qualify for 2nd-tier European club competition. Anyway, just a reminder, LFC is performing way below expectation this season with 130 mil pounds worth of new players plus original squad of players. Just take a look at full squad at Fulham and LFC and we shall know the difference in quality of players and the difference in points in the league table.

are you one of the clubs many fans who recently called the carling cup the mickey mouse cup when Utd were winning it ? Its ok if you were - hypocrisy is acceptable when it comes to defending something you love - just dont lose sight of the bigger picture that after £ 113 mill and last summers failed rebuild we now need FSG to hand over the cash again for this summers re-rebuild.

liverpool's season so far, in a nutshell.entered 3 competitions, won 1 of themin the final of anotherin the top 8 of the EPLqualified for europa league next season.compare this to last season...similar league standingdumped out of all other cup competitions in the opening rounds.within this timeframe, we have seen a legend of our past take over, and has gave us all something to believe in again.days out at wembley, lifting silverware. thats what liverpool is about. kenny has given us this back, something that has been missing, something that we havent been close to for 3 seasons.ok, so the league standing isnt ideal, i agree, it has to improve. and in my opinion, i think it will.people calling for kenny's sacking should be ashamed of themselves. hes only been back 5 minutes ffs.now people will argue that the big money signings brought in havent worked. and to a certain extent, i would agree. but whos REALLY at fault for this? kenny? comolli? yes ok, they were the ones who brought the players in, spent the money etc.but any signing by any manager is largely based on their performances with their previous clubs. i mean, would liverpool sign a player who was bad at their previous club?andy carroll- newcastle hero, top goalscorer. comes to us, flops.charlie adam- blackpool captain, talismatic figure, comes to us, flops.stuart downing- villa winger, influential, england international regular, comes to us, flops.jordan henderson- sunderland's future captain in the making, strong creative player, comes to us, flops.now it boils down to this.on paper, these signings, at the time, were great. these were exciting players, at the top of their games at their previous clubs, so, what happened? whos to blame for their demise?themselves in my opinion. you come to a massive club like liverpool, your given a chance to play alongside top players, and u fail miserably.kenny isnt to blame for this. sacking him would neither proove nor solve anything, it would only make matters worse.every liverpool fan's expectations are so high, mine included. we arent going to win the league in one season. granted i expected a higher league finish but its not to be. next season i expect alot more.JK himself, when roy hodgson was manager, defended him, asked us all to give him a chance, stated how much he was unfairly treated, etc and maybe JK was right. maybe he was unfairly treated. but when it boils down to it, roy hodgson didnt win us anything.kenny is our manager now, when roy got the boot we all cried out for kenny, and when we all heard that the king was coming back we all cheered, we all smiled, we all said 'yesss!!! all hail the king!!' blah blahdy blah. and now were all calling for him to get the boot. well i say wise up the lot of you's.give the man a chance to get us back to where we belong.i sincerely hope people read this and realise the bigger picture. yes a mickey mouse cup in the bag and another final to come is nice, and yes ok we all want a top 4 finish and to be playing with europe's elite again. it will happen again. we just need to all be patient.YNWA

Perhaps you play too much football manager or fifa... wenger has been at the club way sometime ago,. he has build a system that everyone will adapt to it....KK need to rebuild the club from bottom to top.... how can you compare KK with wenger? it just not fair.

What is modern football for you? change manager when team lose? look at MAN U or arsenal...they are consistent enough to stay in top 4 every year.

Hmm... Jaimie, but wasn't you castigating Agger for the very same statement earlier in the season, almost calling him a traitor and accusing me of "blindly following the idols" when I was defending his point?

pot calling the kettle black arse jamie..... sickened with your negative shit about youngsters joining our club but this takes the piss... defeatism is your buzz by all accounts... please show this post as i would love a discourse, ynwa

Mate,we won the Carling cup,playing average football asgainst a Championship team and on penalties at that...as for the 2nd rate Europa League...yes we`re there next season,but finish lower than 7th(highly likely,given our current PL form)and if we don`t win FA Cup against Chelski(highly likely again,given that we can`t score to save ourselves!!)....then my friend,LFC will have to enter the QUALIFYING rounds of the Europa League.I`ve supported LFC for over 40 years...this is the WORST team/squad I`ve seen and our end of season PL table finish will confirm that...if your`e happy being 33 points behind Man U at the top of the table,then you need to get your deluded head out of your bum....!!!!

I don't agree with Agger as captain purely because his injury problems make him unsuitable.

I find it odd you've brought up that 'headless chickens' quote since you rebuked him for his candour earlier in the season.

Also, Kenny's 'various media cheerleaders'- if you think Dalglish has the media on his side, I'd take a closer look at the papers. He has the odd one (Hansen, who has stuck the boot in once or twice, but with disproportionate lightness). Basically anyone with any influence (ie not ex-players, or ex-players without decent media careers anyhoo). That said Kenny's played his part in that by being ludicrously intractable.

You're joking hopefully? Rangers and Portsmouth are now the clubs that need rebuilding from bottom to top, not Liverpool. We needed 3 or 4 quality players to compete for top 4 when Dalglish arrived, and after signing twice the number of that, he said (according to Werner) why couldn't we win (!) the league. Even Dalglish didn't (and doesn't, judging from his post-match interviews) agree that this teem needs significant changes, it's just you looking for excuses in his part. Come down from the clouds, will be better for yourself.

tubridy is clueless about football-his paul mcgrath interview last week showed that,he was grasping at poorly researched straws,preferred to talk about his private life.he'll massage gerrards ego and tell him how great he is.

Jamie this is one of those times mate that i can honestly say you are spot on, what a load of rubbish what he said (Reina) in saying that surely it must be not to rock the boat because if he believes that, then he has no idea about what we as Liverpool fans would except for the club and if any one else feels the same as he, then you need your head read.

Let us quote shankly and say that football is all about winning trophys.

We are so low as you stated we are going to get related this season.

We have spent Net less than 40 mil since KG has took over and should of won the league this season.

Old reina when he retires in a few years times will have many medals on his mantle piece to show his kids of how he finished forth every year and explain to his kids that he never played at wembly and won nothing!!!

As we are down in the dumps I guess you won`t be watching the FA cup final as we are not in it? lol

Come on man , lets be fair and put things into perspective.

If City win the league history will say we have had a better season than our biggest rivals Man utd.

Mediocrity? I don't think the performances this season have been mediocre, the results haven't been what we hoped for but the quality of the football has. Not everything is great but the idea that you can build greatness in one season is absurd. I could understand fans frustrations if we were playing abysmal football but our football this season has in general been a joy to watch. The spirit and character is in the squad, the flair and tenacity is in the squad all we need is a few top quality additions and time for it all to gel. Being impatient and hyper critical will solve nothing, I trust Kenny Dalglish to turn the clubs fortunes around or to know when he can't and step aside. He is Liverpool to the core and i'm certain if he knew he couldn't deliver he would make it known sooner rather than later. Time & Patience builds success, not knee jerk reactions and over analysis of everything.

Although I agree with the article up to a point, I think the attitude of 'if you're not number one then you're nothing' is also totally wrong. Only one player can win Wimbledon - that doesn't mean the other 127 are crap. Actually, being near the top in your sport is a terrific achievement. This attitude of tops or nothing condemns everybody and every team except one to failure. It's a recipe for feeling bad about yourself. I feel Swansea, for example, should be proud of what they've achieved and not hold their heads in shame because they haven't won the league. But I admit that expectations have gone down at Anfield. After twenty-one years without winning the league, perhaps that is not so surprising.

Guys, l think we all agree, that as true LFC fans, we are hurting, we all have opinions of what is wrong and what is needed to return our club to its rightfull place (and l think the top is our rightfull place), but rather than saying we need player a, b or c, we need to get back to the old liverpool ways, the boot room, family values, togetherness, we are no better at the moment than all those other teams who think they can buy the title, players came to LFC in the past because we were a club of values and structure and unless we return to the Shankly and Paisley ways, we`ll never compete again at the top level, There are clubs out there now with far more wealthy owners - Get real guys, Get our values back!!!